Waste from households: Precious metals and dangerous poisons

It is said that in what one thrown as worthless, the other can be seen immense wealth. To understand the need, when we realize that virtually every product can be repaired or recycled so as to at least one of its components may continue to meaningfully use. It is no different in the case of waste management in our homes.

At first look in the trash we see an unspecified mixture of discarded garbage, food waste and old things that we want above all to get rid of as quickly as possible. But when over what we throw in the trash, more reflection, we find that it is possible to mix easily divided into usable and unusable waste.

Garbage that we can still use

The term "useful waste" we can imagine everything that can be further processed. It is therefore specifically the paper, glass, plastics, beverage cartons, compostable kitchen waste, textiles and all kinds of electrical equipment, including any batteries. All these categories of waste should sort it directly in our household. The ideal is to use the special baskets, bags or boxes to store them. Bags and sacks are yet in smaller towns or villages readily available for companies that provide separate collection. In addition, of course we can for waste sorting in the store simply choose an alternative that we are best suited to home.

Conversely, "non-recoverable waste" remains in the home after sorting out everything that can be recycled. The non-recoverable waste belong everything that is somehow contaminated, such as greasy food wrappers, porcelain, lamps or ash. All this waste should be disposed of in the trash bin, and then into the bin or container.

Waste is a source of valuable raw materials

We live in a country where we are from containers for recycling divided by an average distance of 99 meters, and where 72% of people refuse to actively sort and considers it as a perfectly normal part of everyday life. "The Czechs are surprisingly still reserves in how they can deal with some species waste. Although the waste sorting active, for example, many electrical appliances and battery ends remain largely in the garbage, instead it is carried to a collection point designated for recycling or ecological disposal, "says David Vandrovec, Director of REMA, which specializes in the efficient recycling of electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators.

Sorting of waste therefore has, in practice, much broader scope than what is customary cutting of paper, plastics, glass, and the rest, as it fits into every garbage can. For example, thanks to the recycling of old electrical equipment can help ensure that 100% of the original raw materials used reappears in the manufacture of a new product. "A typical example is a mobile phone, which is composed largely of plastic, iron, copper and a small proportion of tin, zinc, or precious metals. However, if it gets to a designated collection point, but in the bin, mixed with other wastes can release toxic substances such as arsenic, mercury or lead, which greatly burdens the nature and ultimately could threaten our health, "says Vandrovec.

What with old appliances?

Mobile phones are definitely not the only electrical equipment, their components made of valuable raw materials can be successfully recycled. Other appliances that should not stop just at the dump, are perhaps an old lawn mower, electric saws, washing machines, televisions, monitors, computers, hairdryers, kettles, batteries and fluorescent lamps, but also batteries, toner cartridges from printers, CD and DVD media. An easy way to take them to a place where their heads valuable components for recycling, offer special services in the field of waste. And through cartage that you can order a free all of us, but every city or village.

"In the whole country can send old electrical appliances courier service or when you order a higher volume collection. It is a unique project that allows citizens free to cast electrical equipment, including batteries directly from households, without having to visit any collection point, "says David Vandrovec project either lazy, which group REMA allows citizens to return old electrical appliances and batteries at any place in the Czech Republic It motivates them to ecological behavior.